Journal box closure



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W. L. DWYER JOURNAL BOX CLOSURE Feb. 20, 1951 Filed June 27, 1946 Feb. 20, 1951 w. L. DWYER 2,542,861

JOURNAL BOX CLOSURE Filed June 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 14 I Jr 13 1 14/ f Winn 5 lllll 10 W OVjZTOR.

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 JOURNAL BOX CLOSURE William L. Dwyer, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Railway Service and Supply Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application June 27, 1946, Serial No. 679,818

3 Claims.

This invention relates to journal boxes for railway axles, and particularly to an improved closure means therefor.

The conventional journal box lid is a relatively heavy, substantially rectangular piece of metal, hinged at the top to a suitable lug or boss cast integrally with the box. It is generally equipped with a spring which reacts between the hinge point and the lid to keep the latter in its closed position. This old and rather well known con struction is subject to a number of disadvantages. Perfectly tight closure of the box opening is hard to obtain due to the fact that the position of the lid is alwayscontrolled to a greater or less extent by its hinge joint, so that unless the bearing surface around the opening in the box is accurately adapted or machined to cooperate exactly with the hinge and the lid, the latter may not come into actual uniform contact with all parts of the bearing surface around the opening so that small cracks or crevices are left, through which dirt can enter the box. In addition, this old type of relatively heavy lid with its spring construction has been subject to damage by virtue of the fact that after opening of the lid and inspection of the box, the lid is generally pushed suddenly in the direction of its closed position after which it slams shut with considerable force and the development of a great deal of noise. Furthermore, the vibration or flutter encountered in operation tends to destroy the alignment between the lid and the box as a result of wearin the hinge, including the boss or lug which is an integral part of the box. This condition cannot be rectified without either replacing the whole journal box or building up a new boss, either of which is relatively expensive. The same operating conditions cause considerable damage to the engaging faces of the lid and the journal box, with a resulting breakdown in the effectiveness of the sealing properties of the cover. To the extent that this is occasioned by damage to the journal box, the remedy is again either a complete replacement of the box or an expensive building up and machining of the surface. Inasmuch as many journal boxes are cast integrally with the side frames of the car trucks, in many cases damage to the box may mean that the whole side frame must be replaced.

An object of the invention is to provide a journal box closure assembly including lid, spring,

hinge, and latch means which can be mounted on any journal box regardless of the condition of the hinge boss or the face of the journal box opening, the assembly being readily secured to z or detached from the journal box, whereby in one operation all of the elements of the journal box closure subject to damage or wear are replaceable; as a unit.

A further object is a journal box closure assembly providing pivotal mounting for a sealing lid at the side of the journal box opening, the assembly being further adapted to provide alter-- natively hinge mounting for the sealing lid at either side without change in the design of the assembly. V

Another object of my invention is a reduction in the amount of flutter, through the employment of a journal box lid of relatively light weight.-

A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for securing the lid in position by means of a positively operating latch.

The invention also contemplates a journal box closure which provides perfect alignment between the lid and the surface engaged by the lid, thereby insuring a perfect seal for the retention oflubricant and the exclusion of dust, dirt, moisture, and the like.

How the foregoing and other advantages are v attained is illustrated in the accompanying draw ings in which: Figure 1 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of my improved journal box closure, and including a fragmentary showing off the journal box on which the closure is mounted; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the closure taken along the line 2-2;

Figure 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; H

Figured is an elevational view taken along the line -4--4 of Figure 2, and showing my novel hinge;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5} of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of my novel face frame.

According to the invention, the journal box, closure assembly comprises three principal parts: the face frame I, the hinge arm 2, and the lid 3..

The face frame may conveniently be formed of sheet material; for example, by stamping. From Figure 6 it will be seen that the frame is provided with a number of lugs l, disposed con veniently at the four sides of the frame. These, lugs are displaced from the plane of the frame. proper to a degree sufficient to bring them into contact with the journal box 5. Although any convenient number and arrangement of the lugs may be employed, the form of invention illustrated in the drawings employs two on each of the four sides of the frame. When the frame is installed on the journal box, it is placed in position over the opening, with the lugs in contact with the box, and secured in that position, for example by welding or brazing the lugs to the box, as at '6, l, 8 and 9.

It will be noted that the original hinge boss a has no function in connection with my novel journal box assembly. 7

The frame is provided, at one side, with hinge loops I0, and at the other with a latch retainer II. As seen in Figure 2, hinge arm 2 engages at one end with the hinge loops, the hinge arm'being provided with loops l3, and the arm being secured to the frame by means of hinge pin 14, which passes through both the loops ID and the loops [3.

At its opposite end, the hinge arm is provided with a latch l5 pivoted on the hinge arm by ipih Hi, the latch being adapted to engage with latch retainer 1 l e W A The lid 3, as may be seen in Figure 2, is substantially rectangular, its dimensions being ape propriate for covering the opening of the .journal box to which it is applied. As will be seen in Figure 3 the lid is provided with a depressed centralportion H which projects into the opening of the journal box. 7

Two channel members 18 are secured to the outer surface of the depressed .portion of the lid by rivets [9 or other suitable fastening means. The channel members are adapted to receive the ends of the lid loading spring 20 which are slidably retained in the channels by pins 24'.

The center of the lid loading spring 28 secured to hinge arm 2 by means of spring retaining clip 22 and bolts 23. e

As will be seen from Figure 3, the lid is maintained in position only through the intermediation of the lid loading spring and does not come into direct contact with the hinge arm. A

Referring further toFigures l ands, oil resisting gaskets 24 and 25 are located respectively between the engaging faces of the journal box openingand frame i, and between frame I and lid 3. Gasket 24 is secured to frame while gasket 25 may be secured to either the frame or the lid. Preferably, gasket '24 Shel-11d be detachably secured to the frame in ord'er thatit maygbe replaced when necessary. Gasket 25 should be detachably secured to either the frame or lid in a manner to insure its remaining in position during the opening and closing-of the lid, and yet being removable for replacement when necessary.

in order to close the journal box, the lf-iinge arm and lid are swung to the closed position, pressure is exerted on the latch end of the hinge a'rm compressing the spring, and the latch is moved to engagement with the la'tchretainer. To open the box, the latch 'is pulled from engagement with the latch retainer by means of the latch loop 26, and the hinge arm and lid are s'v'v'uiig to the open position. -As 'is well known, the opening in the conventional journal box is in afplane inclined upwardly and inwardly from the vertical. The provision of aside hinge mounted the "plane of the journal box opening permits the fact that the whole assembly maybe mounted on the journal box at the car, thus eliminating the necessity for removing the car to the shop. All that is necessary for installation is to remove the original lid, place my novel closure assembly in position over the opening in the box, and secure it in that position by welding thetabs on the face frame to the journal box.

Another advantage of the invention is inherent in the fact that the face frame, hinge arm, and lid are symmetrical in a vertical sense. This permits the assembly to be mounted on the journal box with the hinge at whichever side is preferable or desirable in the individual case to avoid obstructions which may prevent opening of the 7 complete elimination of the condition of the cast the lid to remain either in the fully opened .pos'ican or in the substantially closed position through the operation of gravity. H

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my invention provides a simple and effective closure means for journal boxes. v

"one of the advantages of the invention liesin hinge boss on the journal box as a factor in the effectiveness of the seal, which advantage arises out 'Of provision of a separate hinge as a part of my joui nal box closure assembly.

The combination of a separate hinge, positive latch mechanism, light "Weight lid, "and spring loading for the lid is effective in reducing to a large extent the destructive flutter caused by the vibration encountered under operating conditions, which is responsible for a large portion of the wear and damage to conventional journal box closures.

Similarly, the arrangement of latch and spring employed in the invention considerably reduces the damage which -ordinari1y occasioned b the slamming of the lid under the pressure of the sprin after inspection of the lubricating ber. An outstanding advantage lies in the clear, "unobstructed view of the interior of box when the lid is in it's open position, for inspection of wedge, bearing, journal andp ckin'g.

Finally, the inclusion in a readly replaceable assembly of all parts of the journal 'box closure which are subject to wear or damage in operation completely eliminates the wasteful fnec'essity of either complete rejection of side frames or journal boxes or expensive machining of joure nal box opening 'f'a'c'es and/or hing's bosses which are occasioned by wear or dama e in the convene, tionai journal box closure arrangement in which the surfaces which are 's'ubject'to wear and dama'ge -are integrally cast with the journal box.

'I claim":

1-. As an article of manufacture, a replaceable face frame for journal box openings, comprising a plane portion adapted to frame the opening of a journal "box, a plurality of tab portions [projecting outwardly from the journal box face of the plane portion and adapted to be bent into contact with the walls of the journal box, and a lid-suppo'i ting hinge portion projecting outward-. ly from the opposite 'face of the plane portion and adapted to support a journal box .lid with freedom for swing motion into and from a :posi: tion of sealing engagement with the plane portion of the'fraine.

2. Constructionin accordancewith claim 1 and further having a latch tion 'foime'd integrally with the frame to coo erate in maintaining a journal box lid in sealing engagement with the frame.

3. A'clo'sur'e assembly for -the opening of a journ'al box, comprising afacefframe adapted to seat against the rim of the opening, lugs projecting from 'the frame and adapted to be 'bent so as to chain 2,642,861 5 6 embrace the box structure around said opening, REFERENCES CITED hinge F on p side and a .latch lug 0n.the The following references are of record in the opposite slde, a hinge member pivoted for swmgfile of this patent:

ing motion on said hinge lug, a closure plate proper carried by said hinge member, and latch 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS means for securing the hinge member to said Number Name Dat latch lug, the face frame being of s mme l 538,258 Irvin Apr. 30 1895 construction whereby the hinge mem er ca be 2,154,392 Dwyer Apr. 18 1939 swung from either side of the b x pen 2,259,448 Barrows Oct. 21 1941 2,281,352 Hannaford. Apr. 28, 1942 WILLIAM DWYER' 2,348,843 Pearce May 16, 1944 

